Vehicle-operated switch



De.; 11, 192s. 1,695,121

A. O. PETERSON VEHICLE OPERATED SWITCH Filed March 23, V192'? 6 1 1.mais

Patented Dec. 11,1928.

PATENT oFFicE.

ANDREW O. PETERSON, Ollk SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA.

` y VEHICLE-opnamen SWITCH.

Appncatmnnlea Maren 23, 1927. 'serial No. 117,820.

This invention relates to electrical apparatus, and more particularlytoa single operated switch for use in garages and the like. f

garage it is often necessary for him to turn the lights on when helocates the switch, drive his car from the garage and lthen return tothe gara e to turn the switch offk before yhe closes t e doors.Similarly, on returning to the garage he must stop the car, enter thegarage and turn the lights on, re turn to his car and drive the carwithin the garage, thenturn the lights off before leaving. This is quitetroublesome operation, especially if the switch is located on the Wallof the garage where he must feel for the same in the dark. Then, inorder to overcome this inconvenience, I 'have developed this particularinvention. f

It is an object therefore, of this invention to provide a switch thatwill enable the lights in the garage to be turned on and oii" as the carleaves or enters the garage without requiring the driver'to leave hisposition at the steering-wheel.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a switch located onthe ground, so that the driver mayL merely pass over the switch with thevehicle and operate the same either to turn the lights on or turn thelights off.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a switch which iscomparatively inexpensive to manufacture, which is strong and durable,which will not get out of order due to heavy ressures exerted upon thesame, which is e cient in its operation and well adapted to perform theservices required of it. n

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

Figure lis a diagrammatic view showing the position of my improvedswitch with respectto the path of the vehicle and the garage in whichthe vehicle is housed.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view of my switchassembly, showing( the operative parts thereof.

Figure 3 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view, the plane of sectionbeing indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2. l i

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical connections whichco-operate to, make up my invention.

In the above drawings, like characters of reference designate likeelements throughout. The reference numeral 1 designates a garage orbuilding in which avehicle may be stored. The reference numeral 2designates the driveway or path in which a vehicle must travel in orderto enter th garage l.

My invention is designated as an entirety ati-3, and comprises certainmechanical elements which are adapted to` be embedded beneath thesurface of the drive-'way so that the actual operating means` restssubstant-ially on the surface of the ground.` My.,

invention includes a substantially cup-shaped container 4 .sunk within arecess in the ground. The upper end of the container 4 extends a slightdistance above the ground, and on either side of the same are stationarysupports 5 and 6. Securely fastened to these supports 5 and G by meansof bolts, rivets or the like, are a pair of spring-arms `7 and 8, whicharms are the actual operating elements of my device. Their operationwill be described in detail at a point later in this siiecification. v

fr plate 9, bolted to the upper end of the container as at l0,completely covers the same and extends partially over the supports 5 andG, and is bolted at' itsfouter marginal edges to thesesupports by thesame means whereby the sp1-ing arms Li and 8 are bolted' thereto. nFastened to each of the spring arms are the plungers 11 and 12respectively, which extend through the plate 9 into a container, and attheir lower ends make contactr tothe outside of this container is ashieldshaped plate having cam surfaces 2l and 22 thereon. A slot isprovid-ed in the casingl 17 and lugs 24 and 25 entend outwardly hroughthis slot and contact with the cani surfaces on the shield-like plate. Abracket is pivoted to the casingat 2G and is connected to the lower endot the shield as at 27 by means ot a spring 28, which springin eiiiect.a compression spring.

In actual operation, downward pressure on the arm 8 will cause theshield to swing on its pivot point. to a symmetrial position withrespect to the casing,r on the opposite side ot the container 4t. Theplunger ll will depress the push-button i3 while the pushbutton 1+'.will be elevated and the arm T will assume ythe same position as the armS orig'- inally assumed. IThe driver ot the. vehicle, on entering hisgare causes the wheel ot his vehicle to depress the arin 8 so that thelights wfll he turned on and it will not he necessary tor him to leavehis vehicle to search for a switch-button placed on the wall. @nleaving` his garage, in order to turn the lights Gili, he may run hisvehicle over the arm 7, thereby depressing the same and operating theswitch. It he leavingr the on toot, it is merely necessary tor him tostep on the arm 7 to turn ott' the lights, or on entering the garage ontoot he may step on the arm 8 to turn on the licjhts. In either event.whether the lights are to be turned on or otl, the desired change may beeffected by depressing whichever arm is in its elevated position. Thist'eature ohviates the necessity ot marking;r the arms or of remembering'which one must be actuated to complete the circuit, and which to breakit. The coil-spring 28 should be constructed so as to have sutiiciemstrength so that stray animals or children will not accidentally turn onthe lights. Then the plate Q0 has its symmetrical axis vertical, theplate is unstable. and vill noty remain in such a position. r1She platelat all times will rest al'` an inclination to the lett or to the rigijhtot the container, as its center oi buoyancy is located at. a pointbeneath its center ot inertia.

I do notI desire to limit. myself to the exact. arrangement ot partsshown or described in 'this speciiication and its accompanying;drawings. Other modes of applying` the principle of this invention maybe employed instead ot the one explained. Various changes may be made asregards the mechanism herein disclosed. providing the means covered byany one of the foilowing claims hev employed.

That I claim and desire to secure by lietters Patent is:

l. A switch coi'nprising in combination a container adapted to beembedded in the ground in the path oit travel ot a vehicle. a tubularcasing` within said container, a` switch upon which said casingsupported,

having reciprocal push-buttons for making and breaking an electricalcircuit respectively, a pair ot rods extending downwardly through saidcasing. contacting with said push-buttons. a pair of horizontal arrasabove said container contacting with said rods whereby a` vehicle mayselectively bc pressed by virtuev ot its weight, said rods to operatesaid switch.

2. A switch compris-incr in combination a container', means 'in saidcontainer tor male ing and breaking an el ctrical circuit comprisinpr apair oi reciprocal push-buttons, a pair rods extending upwardly tronisaid push-buttons to a point outside ot said container, a plattl pivotedwithin said container, projections on said rods cngragrinpr canisurfaces on said plate. and a coilspring attach-ed to said plate toimpart to the same a. decree of instability whereby said reciprocalpush-buttons will he either elevated or depressed. and means whereby thewei ght ot a vehicle may he imparted to either ot said rods to operatesaid switch.

il.. A. switch coniprisinfr a container adapted to be positioned in thepath ot' travel ot a vehicle, a switch positioned within said container,said switch comprising a pair oi push buttons adapted to be selectivelyoperated to in ke or break an electrical circuit, :i rod associated witheach ot said buttons and slidably mounted within the container, and anarm operatively connected to each rod, said arms being positionedclosely ad- `jacent the surface over which the vehicle travels.

4. il switch conn'irisine a container adapted to be positioned in thepath ot' travel of a vehicle, a c tch positioned within said container.said switch comprisingr a pair of push buttons adapted to heselectivelyv operated to make or break an electrical circuit, a rodassociated with each of said buttons and slidably mounted within thecontainer, and an arin operatively connecteiil to cach rod.. said armsbeing positioned iiflosely adithe surtace over which the vehicle vele',`and extending' from oiiposite sides el' tie container.

5. A switch comprising:r a container adapted to he positioned in thepath ot travel oi a vehicle. a switch positioned within said container,said switch comprising a pair of push buttons adapted to be selectivelyoperated to make. or break an electrical circuit. a rod associated witheach of said buttons and slidably mounted within the container. meansfor automatically extending' one rofl when the other retracted. and anarm opeatively connected to each rod, said arms being positioned closelyadjacent the surface over which the vehicle travels.

(l. A switch con'iprisine' a container adapted to he. positioned in thepath ot travel ot .1 vehicle, a switch positioned within .said

ent

container, said switch comprising a pair of between said rods and at theother end t0 said push buttons adapted to be selectively operplate, andan arm operatively connected to 10 ated to make or break an electricalcircuit, a each rod, said arms being positioned closely rod associatedwith each of said buttons and adjacent the surface over which thevehicle slidably mounted Within the container, 4a travels.

shoulder on each rod, a rocker plate pivoted In testimony whereof I havesigned my between said rods and in engagement with name to this secification.

both shoulders, a spring pivoted at one end i Il)\IDREW O. PETERSON.

